What drives La Crosse-Brookdale Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, La Crosse-Brookdale Township is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of La Crosse-Brookdale Township’s overall grade.
Kansas towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Kansas town has 5.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so La Crosse-Brookdale Township’s 15.6 sits above most of its state (73% of Kansas towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±8.7 points).
Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about La Crosse-Brookdale Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
La Crosse-Brookdale Township on the map, 1896 to 1985
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of La Crosse-Brookdale Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1896Hays sheet · 1:125,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of La Crosse-Brookdale Township.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
West Point
1878–1894
Hargrave
1890–1950
18701950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Hargrave
Gone or out of use
Rush Center Oil FieldoilfieldWest Pointlocale
4cemeteries and burying grounds inside La Crosse-Brookdale Township
FriendsHallLa CrosseSaint Michaels
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story
How La Crosse-Brookdale Township came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of La Crosse-Brookdale Township.
As its name implies, La Crosse-Brookdale Township was originally two separate townships: La Crosse Township and Brookdale Township. The two townships were merged together in the 1970s to create La Crosse-Brookdale Township.
La Crosse Township was established in 1877 from part of Center Township. The first settlers in what was to become La Crosse Township were D. A. Stubbs and S. W. Taylor, who settled there in 1876. In 1879, Big Timber Township was created from it.
Questions about La Crosse-Brookdale Township’s history
How does La Crosse-Brookdale Township rank for history?
La Crosse-Brookdale Township is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in La Crosse-Brookdale Township?
2 listings: 1 structure.
How old are the homes in La Crosse-Brookdale Township?
35% of La Crosse-Brookdale Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.7 points), against a typical 10% for a Kansas town; the median home was built in 1955.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
